Accountants and lawyers must answer for aiding corruption, says Kubayi

Justice and constitutional development minister Mmamoloko Kubayi says accountants, lawyers and other professionals who help facilitate corruption must face consequences.

Speaking at the third annual University of Johannesburg (UJ) Combating Corruption Summit on Wednesday, she issued a stern challenge to professional bodies, questioning whether they were doing enough to discipline members implicated in corrupt activities.

“I say this because accountability has to be from everyone,” Kubayi said.

According to Kubayi, the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) has recovered R8.3bn through its anti-corruption efforts, but recovering stolen money means little if those who enable corruption continue to escape accountability.

She disclosed that the amount recovered by the AFU had increased from about R6bn reported at last year’s summit. She attributed the increase to stronger co-operation between law-enforcement agencies, anticorruption structures and the private sector.

According to Kubayi, the fight against corruption could not be left to the government and law-enforcement agencies alone. She called on the legal and accounting professions to account for the action they had taken against professionals linked to corruption.

Kubayi also said that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) had recovered R936m in assets and cash over the past year, against a target of R1bn.

However, she said the SIU’s work went beyond recovering stolen funds, as it could also intervene to stop questionable contracts before public money was wasted.

“The SIU doesn’t just recover; it’s able to stop contracts so that we don’t have to come back and recover,” she said.

Kubayi said the success of the country’s anticorruption campaign depended on strong, independent institutions capable of preventing, detecting and prosecuting wrongdoing.

She described the UJ summit as an important platform for government, business, law enforcement, civil society, academia and other sectors to confront the country’s corruption crisis and find practical solutions.

UJ vice-chancellor and principal Prof Letlhokwa Mpedi said the university could not credibly lead conversations about corruption without holding itself to the same standards of integrity and accountability it expected from others.

Mpedi said accountability should not be viewed as a government responsibility, but as a shared obligation across society. He said South Africa’s future depended on institutions and leaders earning public trust through integrity, transparency, fairness and social justice.

The three-day summit continues on Thursday and Friday, with discussions expected to focus on accountability, whistleblower protection, ethical leadership and institutional integrity.

National director of public prosecutions Andy Mothibi is among the speakers expected to address delegates, while public protector Kholeka Gcaleka will deliver a keynote address on building an accountability culture.

A panel featuring civil society and law enforcement representatives will also examine why corruption is so hard to eliminate and what can be done to strengthen the accountability chain.

Sowetan